Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour: 60th Anniversary Celebration
The MJF on Tour 60th Anniversary Edition features a top roster of diverse and international millennial talent and the leaders of jazz’s future, including Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals; Bria Skonberg, trumpet, vocals; Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone; Christian Sands, piano and musical director; Jamison Ross, drums, vocals; and Yasushi Nakamura, bass.In addition to having three unique and talented vocalists on the tour, and an equal balance of men and women, the show will feature renditions of classic jazz standards, along with originals penned by the members. Each musician is an outstanding representative of the next generation of jazz artists and educators, each with a close relationship with Monterey that represent both its musical excellence and jazz education activities—core components of Monterey Jazz Festival’s mission statement.To celebrate the Festival’s 60th Anniversary of its inception in 2018, Artistic Director Tim Jackson put together an all-star band that represented the future of jazz in a nationwide tour. Previous incarnations include a 50th anniversary tour in 2008, and additional national tours in 2010, 2013, and 2016, with a collective 163 performances to over 115,000 fans across the country.https://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/press/110718
Jazz at Lincoln Center|Appel Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall|60th & Broadway, New York NY, New York, NY
The Nearness of You Concert: In Honor of Michael Brecker
On Monday January 28, join Hugh Jackman, Patti Austin, Harolyn Blackwell and James Taylor, along with Bernie Williams, Randy Brecker, Ada Rovatti, Antonio Sanchez, Chris Potter, Donny McCaslin, musical director Will Lee and special guests as they honor 15-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker at The Nearness of You Concert.Proceeds from the concert will support cancer research at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the work of Azra Raza, M.D. and Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, D.Phil.
The Appel Room|Frederick P. Rose Hall|Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY
The Shape of Jazz: Anat Cohen Tentet
Prolific clarinetist, composer, and bandleader Anat Cohen—along with musical director, arranger, and composer Oded Lev-Ari—presents an intercontinental mix of songs that celebrate the clarinet’s beauty, versatility, and stylistic adaptability. Featuring a world premiere for solo clarinet and ensemble by Lev-Ari, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, and music from their acclaimed album Happy Song, the Anat Cohen Tentet engages audiences with thrilling musical excursions that draw on Cohen’s diverse sonic loves, from Brazilian music to African grooves, from vintage swing to touching ballads.This will be the Tentet's NYC concert hall debut.
Zankel Hall @ Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Noel Nights: Martha and Rufus Wainwright and Family and Friends
The legendary Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright’s Christmas show, “Noel Nights,” is back in New York City! Featuring three generations of the Wainwright and McGarrigle families along with many special guests, the show has previously been presented in Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Nashville.This year, after a 4 year hiatus, the show is returning to New York City on Dec. 16 at Town Hall. The show features not only Martha and Rufus plus performances by Sufjan Stevens, and Joan As Policewoman alongside regulars Emmylou Harris, Loudon Wainwright III, Teddy Thompson, Sloan Wainwright, and Lucy Wainwright Roche.Described by The New York Times as “typical Christmas-time family gathering motley, convivial, multi-generational, jokey, affectionate and tinged with both skepticism and faith,” the Christmas show has been a family tradition since 2005 when Kate and Anna McGarrigle released their classic album, “The McGarrigle Christmas Hour.”Part concert and part family reunion the show was inspired by Kate McGarrigle, Rufus and Martha’s late mother, who passed in 2010 from sarcoma. Proceeds from this show benefit Stand Up to Cancer, which has named Martha and Rufus as Ambassadors to their organization.https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Rufus-Martha-Wainwrights-NOEL-NIGHTS-Returns-To-New-York-City-20180928http://www.brooklynvegan.com/rufus-wainwright-sufjan-stevens-more-playing-christmas-show-at-town-hall/http://donyc.com/events/2018/12/16/noel-nights-rufus-martha-wainwright-and-family-and-friendsRufus on Seth Myers links to view Interview: https://youtu.be/PBPKFI38HwI Performance: https://youtu.be/KMFihUG_6Po Interview part 2: https://youtu.be/ogFHHXsTISwguest artists subject to change
Town Hall|123 West 43rd Street|New York, NY , New York, NY
Artemis: Great Women in Jazz
Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocalsRenee Rosnes, piano and musical directorAnat Cohen, clarinetMelissa Aldana, tenor saxophoneIngrid Jensen, trumpetNoriko Ueda, bassAllison Miller, drumsHailing from America, Canada, France, Chile, Israel and Japan, ARTEMIS is an extraordinary all-star group comprised of seven of the finest performers in jazz today, gender irrelevant. The band features a powerful front line of A-list musicians in trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana and clarinetist Anat Cohen; a virtuosic rhythm section of pianist and music director Renee Rosnes, bassist Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller on drums, and the brilliant vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. This is a significant and serious band that performs with power, sensitivity and passion!https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article222582970.html
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts|1300 Biscayne Blvd.|Miami, FL, Miami, FL
Bessie! Empress of the Blues - A Benefit Concert for The Cabot
Honoring BESSIE SMITH The Empress of The Blues 1894 – 1937An Exciting, Unique Concert And A Campaign To Renovate The Cabot by 2020 The Cabot’s 100th BirthdayFeaturing Artistic Director Paula ColeDoyle Bramhall II, Terri Lyne Carrington, Shemekia Copeland, Dom Flemons, Nona Hendryx, Meshell Ndegeocello, Valerie Simpson and The Western Den On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, we will proudly present a one-of-a-kind concert evening, “Honoring Bessie Smith, The Empress of the Blues.” We invite you to be a part of this unforgettable evening!We intend to celebrate Bessie Smith, along with 100 years of American music. Our brilliant guest artists will perform a mix of historic Bessie Smith material as well as original music, which in total, will reflect the diversity and brilliance of the great canon of American music spanning one hundred years, revealing styles such as blues, soul, jazz, roots, Americana, country, rock, folk and more.“As a former Rockport and now Beverly resident, I’ve known The Cabot as a community theater my whole life. From magic shows to movie nights and now to its amazing concerts, The Cabot transports us to another time. Now it is on the cusp of becoming a world-class theater, one of just 250 silent movie and vaudeville survivors. I am bringing some of the most compelling and diverse musicians to the North Shore of Massachusetts, together at The Cabot, in performance to honor the music heroine, the legacy – Bessie Smith – as we help a theater transform into becoming a lasting, iconic venue.” – Paula Cole, Artistic DirectorAbout Bessie Smith:Bessie Smith earned the title of “Empress of the Blues” by virtue of her forceful vocal delivery and command of the genre.Her singing displayed a soulfully phrased, boldly delivered and nearly definitive grasp of the blues. In addition, she was an all-around entertainer who danced, acted and performed comedy routines with her touring company. She was the highest-paid black performer of her day and arguably reached a level of success greater than that of any African-American entertainer before her.Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1894. Like many of her generation, she dreamed of escaping a life of poverty by way of show business. As a teenager she joined a traveling minstrel show, the Moss Stokes Company. Her brother Clarence was a comedian with the troupe, and Smith befriended another member, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (a.k.a. the “Mother of the Blues”), who served as something of a blues mentor. After a decade’s seasoning on the stage, Smith was signed to Columbia Records in 1923. Her first recording—“Down Hearted Blues” b/w “Gulf Coast Blues”—sold an estimated 800,000 copies, firmly establishing her as a major figure in the black record market. Smith sang raw, uncut country blues inspired by life in the South, in which everyday experiences were related in plainspoken language—not unlike the rap music that would emerge more than half a century later. She was ahead of her time in another sense as well. In the words of biographer Chris Albertson, “Bessie had a wonderful way of turning adversity into triumph, and many of her songs are the tales of liberated women.”Bessie Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.This exceptional event is being produced by Danny Melnick, President of Absolutely Live EntertainmentThe Cabot is a 501 C3 Non Profit Organization Tax Deductible Proceeds go to The Cabot 100 Capital Campaign https://www.salemnews.com/news/lifestyles/bessie-s-bold-blues-gala-curated-by-paula-cole-honors/article_b9a32360-8989-53f2-afed-f0ab27888a99.html?fbclid=IwAR3nFUyrpsLhg5E3A4ZBUiTI8QoLhXb93td-CUBLbfERFk5yMSLPcZKXiOEhttp://www.wickedlocal.com/news/20181127/bessie-smith-tribute-to-kick-off-celebration-of-cabot-theaters-centennialhttp://www.wbur.org/artery/2018/11/30/bessie-smith-empress-blues-the-cabothttps://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2018/11/29/cabot-all-star-lineup-genuflects-empress-bessie-smith/GxRjJyykT2gVZtul6HKjFN/story.html
The Cabot | 286 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA
JusticeAid celebrates New Orleans @ 300: A Benefit Concert f. Dr Michael White's Liberty Jazz Band w/ special guest Topsy Chapman
You won’t want to miss this electric celebration of New Orleans in music, song, and performance—an inspiring call to action for JusticeAid’s featured beneficiaries: Civil Rights Corps, dedicated to correcting systemic injustices in the American legal justice system, and Essie Justice Group, which harnesses the collective power of women with incarcerated loved ones to end mass incarceration’s harm to women and communities.VIP tables packages and ticket information can be found here:https://justiceaid.org/tickets-3/
City Winery NYC| 155 Varick Street, New York, NY
The Shape of Jazz: Dafnis Prieto Big Band
Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto honors his musical heroes and mentors—such as Eddie Palmieri, Chico O’Farrill, Michel Camilo, Henry Threadgill, and Steve Coleman—with his 17-piece orchestra. Showcasing some of the world’s best Latin jazz musicians, Prieto’s compositions mix lush and jubilant melodies with polyrhythms that display a range of musical vocabularies from Latin jazz to classical chamber music.This will be the Big Band's NYC concert hall debut.
Zankel Hall @ Carnegie Hall , New York, NY
Old, New, & Blue: A Celebration of Gershwin's Rhapsody
An iconic American masterpiece takes on a 21st century identity in this multi-cultural world premiere arrangement of Gershwin’s groundbreaking Rhapsody in Blue with the Catskill Jazz Factory Music Machine led by Dominick FarinacciGeorge Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, an iconic work that defined the melting pot of Jazz Age America, is given a new identity in this specially commissioned arrangement featuring the Catskill Jazz Factory Music Machine, a multi-cultural all-star ensemble, led by top trumpeter Dominick Farinacci.Farinacci’s ensemble features modern jazz masters from Venezuela, Japan, Brazil, France, Afghanistan and America, embodying a contemporary reflection of today’s America through the lens of George Gershwin’s American classic. Old, New & Blue presents a night of modern interpretations of traditional American jazz, pop and rock standards, culminating in the centerpiece of the program, the specially-commissioned world premiere tribute performance of Gershwin’s masterful Rhapsody in Blue. Dominick Farinacci, bandleader / trumpetBraxton Cook, alto saxShenel Johns, vocalOrlando Watson, spoken wordLinda Briceño, trumpet / vocalChristian Tamburr, vibesJulien Labro, accordionDiego Figueiredo, guitarTaber Gable, pianoJonathan Michel, bassJerome Jennings, drumsMathias Kunzli, percussionGenerous support for the NYBG Summer Concert Series: An American Tribute provided by the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund
New York Botanical Garden|2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Song
Top jazz vocalist of her generation Brianna Thomas, joined by trombone legend Wycliffe Gordon, honors the life and legacy of Dr. King through the music of Mahalia Jackson and Nina Simone“The best young straight-ahead jazz singer of her generation” (WSJ) Brianna Thomas explores the repertoire of the “Queen of Gospel” Mahalia Jackson and the legendary activist Nina Simone, two artists inextricably linked to the life and work of the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Mahalia Jackson was a friend and supporter of Dr. King Jr, and her gospels and spirituals served as the soundtrack to the civil rights movement. Likewise, Nina Simone’s iconic songs of soulful passion and protest honored and were inspired by King’s philosophy and leadership. These uplifting musical narratives are expertly laced together in this world premiere by accomplished vocalist Brianna Thomas, who is joined by special guest trombone legend Wycliffe Gordon and an ensemble of powerhouse soloists including Bruce Harris, James Hurt and Marvin Sewell.Brianna Thomas, vocalsSpecial Guest : Wycliffe Gordon, trombonePatrick Bartley Jr., alto saxophoneBruce Harris, trumpetMarvin Sewell, guitarConun Pappas, keyboardsFernando Saci, percussionJames Hurt, pianoRyan Berg, bassDarrian Douglas, drumsGenerous support for the NYBG Summer Concert Series: An American Tribute provided by the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund
New York Botanical Garden|2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY
Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival
The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will celebrate its 41st anniversary on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, 2018. Founded in 1978 by jazz impresario George Wein, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is the fifth longest-consecutive-running jazz festival in North America. Initially founded as “the Newport Jazz Festival at Saratoga” the festival was renamed Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in 1998. The two-day, two-stage festival continues to be one of the largest jazz music events in North America, beloved by audiences for both the remarkable annual line-up of international jazz talent and the spectacular setting at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the idyllic Saratoga Spa State Park.Jon Batiste with The Dap-KingsGregory PorterMavis StaplesTEN: Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Nicholas PaytonScott Sharrard & The Brickyard BandJane Bunnett & MaquequeDeva MahalMark Whitfield, Ben Allison, Billy DrummondThe Jazz Passengers 30th AnniversarySammy Miller & The Congregationhttps://mailchi.mp/spac/april-is-jazz-appreciation-month-a-word-from-freihofers-saratoga-jazz-festival-producer-danny-melnick?e=1507d96d5e
Saratoga Performing Arts Center|108 Avenue of the Pines|Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, Saratoga Springs/New York
Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival
The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will celebrate its 41st anniversary on Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, 2018. Founded in 1978 by jazz impresario George Wein, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is the fifth longest-consecutive-running jazz festival in North America. Initially founded as “the Newport Jazz Festival at Saratoga” the festival was renamed Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in 1998. The two-day, two-stage festival continues to be one of the largest jazz music events in North America, beloved by audiences for both the remarkable annual line-up of international jazz talent and the spectacular setting at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in the idyllic Saratoga Spa State Park.Chris Botti Herbie Hancock Lean on Me:José James Celebrates Bill Withers Joey Alexander Anat Cohen Tentet Lakecia Benjamin and SoulSquad Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez Duo Jazzmeia Horn Keyon Harrold New Orleans @ 300 featuring Evan Christopher, Robin Barnes, Wendell Brunious, David Torkanowsky, Thaddeus Exposé & Shannon PowellChristian Sands Triohttps://mailchi.mp/spac/april-is-jazz-appreciation-month-a-word-from-freihofers-saratoga-jazz-festival-producer-danny-melnick?e=1507d96d5ehttps://www.npr.org/event/music/598048516/jazzmeia-horn-enters-the-jazz-vocal-pantheon
Saratoga Performing Arts Center|108 Avenue of the Pines|Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, Saratoga Springs/New York